The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service and local bar association lawyer referral services are designed to make it easy for consumer to contact a lawyer. Do you have a legal problem... and don't know an attorney? Call (800) 342-8011.It will place you in direct contact with The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service maintained as a public service by The Florida Bar.

Your call will be answered by a lawyer referral staff member who will take your name, address and telephone number. You will be asked to state your problem briefly. Any information you give will be held in the strictest confidence.

Lawyer Referral Service staff will give you the name, address, and telephone number of an attorney in your geographic area who handles the type of case you describe.

After the first meeting between you and the lawyer, it is up to you to decide whether to authorize the lawyer to take action on your legal problem.

You will have up to one-half hour to discuss your problem with the attorney. You and the lawyer are under no obligation to go beyond the first consultation. The fee for any additional service should be arranged between you and the attorney during your initial meeting.

The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service has also established Low Fee, Elderly, AIDS Law, and Disability Law Panels for clients in need. If your personal circumstances qualify you for referral to one of these specialty panels, you will receive a free initial 30-minute office consultation.

If the legal problem is one that can be handled easily, fees for further legal work will be lower than the lawyer's regular rate. Fee-generating cases, such as personal injury or malpractice cases are not included in this reduced fee program and are handled at the attorney's regular rate. Participating attorneys are encouraged to use a payment plan or another method of assisting the client in paying legal fees.

Unlike regular lawyer referral service programs which operate in cities with local bar association lawyer referral service offices, the Disability Law Panel and AIDS Law Panel operate statewide.

Your local bar association may offer programs similar to these. Please contact the local bar association lawyer referral service in your community to learn of the specialty panels in your area and to determine if you qualify.